Painted Lady ~ The Painted Lady butterflies are migrating through right now. On a hike today I saw many of them; this one stopped on these fiddlenecks and let me photograph it.
Variegated Meadowhawk-Male ~ Not the best photo of this pretty dragonfly, but it was my first of this species, so decided to include it in the gallery, at least until I get a better shot. It was resting at the side of a pond at San Jacinto Wildlife area. I went for the birds, but ended up happy with dragonflies.
Black Saddlebags-Male ~ A new species for me today, and hoping for a better photo next time. There were two of them, and they mostly just patrolled the pond, were powerful flyers, and seemed skittish about alighting with me nearby. When this one finally stopped, it lit on a weed that was swaying wildly in the wind, so even this photo was a real gift. The broad black saddle mark and folded long legs give the thorax a bulky look in flight.
